Coastal Rainbow Trout

Introduction: Coastal Rainbow trout is a subspecies of Rainbow trout that is native to Western Washington, and much of the Northwest coastal streams flowing into the Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Southern California. The Coastal Rainbow Trout can be either anadromous commonly known as Steelhead or residential. There are also some lakestrain Coastal Rainbow trout in Washington, such as the population of Coast Rainbow trout that inhabits Crescent Lake in Olympic National Park known as Beardslee trout. These fish lost access to the salt water when the lake's outlet was blocked by a landslide.
Coastal Rainbow have spawning runs which occur during every month of the year throughout one part of their range or another, however steelhead runs are most often divided into summer and winter runs. Steelhead usually spend between two and three years in freshwater before setting out on their oceanic migration. They then spend another one to three years at sea before returning to their natal streams to spawn. In Southern Oregon and Northern California there is an unusual form of steelhead that enters the salt water as smolts in spring and returns to fresh water to overwinter by the end of summer at lengths of between 12 and 13 inches. Unlike Pacific Salmon though, these fish do not die after spawning, and may return to spawn a second, third or even fourth time although the survival rates for second time return spawners is relatively low. Also unlike species of salmon, steelhead have been known to feed while the are in freshwater.

Description: Generally speaking, Coastal Rainbow trout have many irregularly shaped spots, which occur above and below the lateral line. Their bodies are usually a silver or brassy color, and steelhead exhibit a bright silver color while in the salt water, but resident show darker colors. These rainbows have a pink to red colored stripe across their lateral line, and the same color on their cheeks. Often there is a transition between the two subspecies of Coastal Rainbows and Columbia basin Redbands in the eastern parts of their range, where the trout have traits of both the Coastal Rainbows and the Redbands.